Bound
by ofmiceandymas
Summary: Shamed by her family and Chambers for using a resurgence spell to raise her brother from the dead, Scarlett Connor is sent to Raven's Boarding School for Witches and Warlocks in the depths of the English countryside. Twice the punishment, this is the school her brother was once sent to himself and the place in which he died.
1. Prologue

The leaves had long fallen from the trees, lying brown and lifeless on the bed of frosted grass. Autumn had past and it was the heart of winter, making the house look more lifeless than any other time of year.

From the third floor window, she watched the wind carry the dead leaves into the air, ghosting imprints of life into them for a passing moment. She always thought this was the best time of year. More quiet and undisturbed than normal, no passers-by or contractors took any notice of the house. The cold kept them away; no one wanted to enter the woods in the dark. Stupid really, she thought. As if the sunshine would protect them from the horrors of the forest.

"Are you going to stand there all day?"

She snapped her head around. He was leaning in the doorway, arms folded with an amused expression on his face.

She narrowed her eyes; "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware we had a busy day ahead."

"Well no," he nodded; "But you look so ridiculously morbid."

She turned back to the window, squinting through the moss and grime at the trees. "I was just thinking," she said, quieter this time.

"That makes sense;" he smirked, "I thought I saw smoke coming from your ears."

She smiled into the window, "shut up" she responded half-heartedly.

He pushed himself off the doorway and approached her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go somewhere else," he said softly, "Some of the others are annoyed you never leave the third floor."

She shrugged off his touch, "Screw the others."

"Well I would," he smiled, "but there are a lot of them and I don't even want to imagine how that would work."

"Oh shut up," she said again, like she meant it this time.

There was a pause when neither of them moved, both simply staring at the lifeless tree opposite the building. "Do you think the others will come and visit?" she asked her voice low.

He raised an eyebrow; "Is that what you've been waiting around for?"

"This was one of the years they travelled too, I'm sure of it," she continued as if he hadn't spoke, "Maybe that's why in the end they started cutting me out, because they knew what happened."

"I doubt it."

"Why?"

He sighed; "Who's to say they even bumped into us, or for that matter, _saw_ us?"

Her face turned hard and he knew he'd said the wrong thing. She moved from the window and down the corridor. "Wait-" he began, but she'd already disappeared down one of the corridors. He bit his lip and sat down on the window seat, now his turn to watch the cold winter's day. He would sit here until she came back. He would guard the seat for her, just in case they came.


	2. Chapter 1

'Should any Witch or Warlock use a resurgence spell on a member of the deceased or undead, they will be immediately seized and stand trial before their local Chamber and will be sentenced in accordance with the scale of their crimes. If the Witch or Warlock in question is under the age of eighteen, they may not be sentenced to death. They may however, be stripped of their powers.'

- _The Enchanter's Manual, 2__nd__ Edition, Page 367_

Scarlett heard the noise before the building came into sight. They'd been driving through the woodland road for over half an hour now, and she'd been wondering how far into the middle of nowhere this school was. With her window rolled down, the noise of music, battles and the general chatter of students hit her just as they turned up the gravel driveway. Just as the car slowed a bell rang, and the noise quietened down. It was 12am and if this was anything like Polar's Academy, the bell signalled the beginning of independent study period. She sighed when the car came to a halt, reluctantly taking off her seat belt and stepping out the car. Students were meandering around on the grass, some studying, some chatting and other's training. Yes, it was most definitely independent study. Her head hurt again. Reaching the trunk of the taxi was a lot more effort than it usually was. Rolling her eyes, she pulled her suitcase and shabby red rucksack out and made her way towards the school.

Just before the grand doorway stood a large concrete fountain which was spraying water in different directions. She imagined it would look much grander in the sunlight. The building itself was old, how old she couldn't tell. It was least five floors high, and much bigger in width. That being said, the collection of turrets and stairwells could've easily made it several floors higher. As she took the steps up to the two large wooden doors, she wondered how she would ever find her assigned dormitory. Scarlett reached into her rucksack and pulled out her crumpled notepad which contained her acceptance letter, room number and a map of the school. Clutching them in one hand and her suitcase in the other, she pushed open one of the heavy doors with her shoulder, stumbling into a large entryway.

In front of her stood a stone set of stairs packed with students shoving past one another. As this was where most movement seemed to be coming from, she figured this would be the way to go. She stuck out like a sore thumb as she fought her way to the bottom of the stairs, all the students in the mandatory black pants and long sleeved top while she sported a floor length red coat. She took a left on the stairwell, and went up to what seemed to be the main corridor. She paused when she reached the top and observed her surroundings. All the doors, she noticed, were oak; and if her Father had taught her anything, dated the building back to the eighteenth century. The walls were covered in a mixture of worn paintings and more modern framed rules and directions. She bit her lip and turned towards her right, which was directing her to the novice dorms. This corridor was just the same as the others, buzzing with students chatting and daring one another to jump from the staircase. Thankfully, they all seemed too busy to notice her. She strode past them, dropping her suitcase in an attempt to dodge several black cats. "Bloody witches," she muttered, raising a hand to her forehead. This headache was worse than normal.

"Ouch."

Scarlett snapped her head up from the floor and looked in front of her. Before her was a boy, the only boy she'd seen so far dressed in the school blazer. His hair was chocolate brown, his skin tan and eyes to match. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and raised an eyebrow. She gave him a quizzical look.

"Your bag," he prompted.

She looked at him blankly.

"Your bag is on my foot."

Scarlett jumped and moved her suitcase. A firm hand now on both her bags, she stood up straight to move.

The boy was still there.

She gave him a frustrated look.

"Well?"

He grinned; "Hi."

She didn't respond.

"I'm Samuel."

Scarlett rolled her eyes, "Are you going to move or do I need move you myself?"

"Well," he shrugged, "you could try." The boy shuffled from one foot to the other, clearly with no intention of moving. He was still smiling.

"I think if you knew who I am-"

"Oh please, newbie;" he interrupted, his tone light; "don't get to big for your boots."

She opened her mouth to counter him, but reading her expression, he continued.

"I know," he drawled, waving his hands about; "you did something so awful to get transferred to the school and you think that you're better than us, that this is a chore, that you should be out there putting your sorcery to use, blah blah."

Scarlett looked taken a back.

This made him smirk.

That annoyed her.

"Everyone has the same story," he said. His tone now softer, he leant it towards her; "try not to be too cocky, you'll fit in quicker."

He was _still _smiling.

She returned the smile this time; "So you know your stuff, huh?"

He shrugged again, "I've been here a while."

"Well, in that case;" she shoved her suitcase in his arms, "you can show me to my room then."

The next day, having spent the entire previous afternoon hiding in her dorm, Scarlett was hidden in a stationary closet on the third floor at breakfast time. Originally, she had found herself at the bottom of the grand staircase, hovering outside the cafeteria. Looking through the doors, she could see it was some kind of great hall that had a similar resemblance to an ancient throne room. It was packed with most of the school's students who were occupying round wooden tables and benches, which were packed tightly together to fit in as many as possible. It was too daunting for her first day, and the idea of being surrounded by that many people had made her feel claustrophobic. Having second thoughts and deciding to skip breakfast, she'd made her way up to one of the closets and lodged herself between the metal stationary rack and the wall.

An hour had past when she contemplated staying there all day.

Once she'd taken two of her sleeping pills, it wasn't long before she dozed off.

"I don't know Sam, it seems a bit farfetched."

Samuel rolled his eyes, an unamused expression on his face as he looked across the table at Mark and Daniel.

"Farfetched?" he snapped his book shut with a bang, sending an echo throughout the library.

"I'm _telling _you," he persisted; "This is the girl."

Mark ran a hand through his blond hair, quirking a smile at Daniel. "I don't want to ride all my chances of passing the year on some girl you met for five minutes in a corridor."

"Yeah," Daniel agreed; "Did she even speak to you once you showed her to her dorm?"

Samuel bit his lip; "Well, no."

Mark through his hands up exasperatedly; "Exactly!" His voice travelled across the room and several other students turned around and gave him an irritated look.

He leant across the table. "All I am saying;" he hissed quietly, "I get that this Scarlett Connor person is quite a big deal at the moment-"

Samuel scoffed.

"-but if she's anything like the Camber Chronicle has been saying, she's dangerous."

Daniel put a hand on his arm; "Regardless, she's a kid _and a_ newbie. I have a feeling she'll be a total pain in the ass."

Samuel sighed and sunk back into his chair. "Whatever;" he muttered, "It's not like we can choose our teams for the Mission anyway."

He pushed his chair out from under the table and turned around to the ceiling high bookshelf behind him. He scanned the fourth shelf up, "What we really should be doing is researching creatures," he paused then added; "so we're prepared I mean."

Mark and Daniel shared a look behind his back.

"If we could choose;" Daniel said, ignoring Samuel's attempt to change the subject; "I'd want Amelia."

Samuel spun round; "As in Amelia Darkenholme?"

Daniel nodded and he laughed. "Seriously?"

"Your funeral, mate." Mark grinned, joining Samuel in laughing.

Daniel folded his arms and smirked.

The left arm of Samuel's blazer caught fire.

"Hey!" he yelled, banishing the fire with a touch of his right hand; "Not cool."

While Sam's blazer seemed relatively unharmed, black smoke had already filled the air in the library. The three boys looked up together.

Mark nudged Daniel with his elbow. "Oh shit."

Daniel shrugged in a nervous manner; "It might not-"

As if on cue, the piercing sound of the fire alarm rung through the corridor outside the library. Annoyed students moved from their desks slowly, grumbling to one another that this happened too often.

"It's probably one of the novices setting their potions on fire," a girl said to another as she passed.

"_Again;" _her friend added.

Samuel folded his arms shook his head at Daniel; "This time;" he said with a triumphant grin; "You're explaining this one to Winters."

They filed out the door and Daniel seemed unfazed. He nudged Samuel with his arm. "You should be thanking me;" he grinned, "only idiots wear blazers."


	3. Chapter 2

Theoretically, Professor Harklone's history class _should _be interesting; Scarlett thought. For any school that catered to Witches, Warlocks, Vampires and Unidentified Species, history class meant learning where different spells originate from in order to be able to use them properly. So what history really meant, was an opportunity to practice sorcery. Students where often expected to develop their talents on their own and history provided a rare opportunity to ask questions and seek help.

That's why, at 10pm (the beginning of first period), on her second week at Raven's Boarding School, Scarlett Connor found herself actually attending a lesson. By now she _should_ have been introduced to the school and shown around by the head teacher, had more than a few lessons and spoken to the other students. She had done none of these; her presence had been similar to that of a ghost. However, she knew one of the only ways to achieve what she _really _wanted was to practice her magic. This had meant making a collective decision to show up to history and spending all of the weekend preparing herself. This meant she had avoided taking her medication so her abilities were not dulled. It had been not so much of a struggle without her drugs, but more of a crippling awareness that she was conscious and unable to crawl into a ball and sleep the days away. Now, she was standing at the bottom of the staircase that led to the novice dorms, leaning against the banister and standing opposite the door to Harklone's classroom. She was waiting for the bell, determined not to be the first one there. Students were milling around the second floor corridor, grumbling to one another about how early it was, about what lessons they had that day. Towards the end of the corridor, the one that led to the main staircase, a girl caught Scarlett's eye. She wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary; she just wasn't doing what the other students were. She stood staring out one of the large white panelled windows, deep in thought as she soaked up the moonlight. She was pale and even her long blond hair couldn't hide the pixie ears peeping out of her waves. Not many Warlocks these days had features or marks that singled them out as so.

"Staring at Amelia?"

Scarlett jerked to her left, seeing that Samuel had snuck up behind her.

"I wasn't staring;" she mumbled defensively.

"You're wasting your time."

"What?"

"She won't date you."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm. "You males have such a one track mind."

"Not always;" Samuel shrugged, "sometimes I think about food and oblivion and-"

"Oh please" Scarlett begged, a hint of a smile on her face, "Stop talking."

Samuel gave her an innocent look but nodded; "So what are you doing here?" he asked, "I was beginning to think one of the vampires had murdered you and stashed the body."

She didn't respond.

"If you do get murdered, promise to come back and haunt me?" he prodded her with his finger.

"Promise," she said weakly.

The bell rang and the girl- Amelia- disappeared down the corridor. Scarlett turned back to Samuel who was walking towards Harklone's classroom, the door now open.

He gawked at her, his face expectant; "Coming?"

Scarlett considered him; "How did you know I was waiting for history?"

"_Because _you were _supposed _to be my new partner for the year according to Harklone;" he said, in an accusing tone; "my last partner…wasn't cut out for it." His brown eyes glistened mischievously. Scarlett was starting to think his eyes were less brown and more black. It was hard to tell where his pupils began. It should've been unnerving, but it wasn't. If anything, it was endearing.

She let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, and followed him into the classroom.

Independent study period was Floria's favourite time of day. Mostly she spent it by herself, rushing downstairs after history class to get outside. She had double history today and it was long and tedious and claustrophobic. She much preferred the outdoors. She'd always found the grounds of Raven's School to be interesting, surrounded by fields and grass around the east and north of the building and a grand forest to the west. The forest stretched on for miles and Floria was often curious as to how long it went on for. She knew that the amount of forest that was on school land ended after about nine miles where there was an enchanted wire fence. Beyond that, she did not know. Often during independent study, she'd go for long walks deep into the forest and find a tree to sit and read under or practice her magic.

But today was different.

First period she'd been in history. She was sure she had been. One moment she was there, listening to Harklone take the register with the other Witch and Warlock novices, the next, she was here.

There was no explaining it.

Her watch said it was 12pm, independent study. As if she'd moved two hours into the future, or into the past for that matter.

It was 12pm.

She had found herself in the forest.

When, she didn't know.

Samuel couldn't explain what had just happened. He'd entered the classroom, just like he had done every Monday since he'd been assigned to Harklone's class, and showed Scarlett to the seat next to him. She'd been subdued and occasionally contributed an irritated comment, like always. They'd sat down two rows from the front, and he'd casually spread his arm over the table behind them; saving the table for Mark and Daniel, like always. They were just behind and to the left of Floria Railshade, like always.

He'd never given much consideration to Floria, she was quiet, although he got the impression she had a group of friends elsewhere, and always got on with her work. She'd always seemed interesting enough, her jet black hair was tied up in a messy bun, she wore long earrings and hippy dresses, but he'd had no reason to consider her. It was only just after the start of class he even glanced her way. Professor Harklone took the register, only once glancing up to give Scarlett a surprised look when she answered her name in the register. He didn't comment though. When they'd both answered their names, Scarlett leant over and whispered in his ear.

"That girl-"

He turned to her, slightly distracted by her close proximity. She smelt like laundry detergent and a type of bitter perfume. He shook his head.

"What girl?"

Scarlett gestured discreetly; "The one over there, with the tattoo."

He knew immediately who she meant; she was very petite, which made it stand out even more that she had two angel wings tattooed all the way down her back and the back of her arms and shoulders. One was detailed and shaded, whereas the one on the right was just an outline. Due to her size, the first time Samuel had seen her, when she was just fourteen and the only child he knew with a tattoo, he'd thought it looked like the wings were larger than she was, consuming her entire body.

"I know;" he said, with the same tone as when he'd told her off on the first day; "It's distracting isn't it?"

Scarlett waved her hand impatiently; "Not that;" she shook her head, "_Look _at her."

Samuel saw it then, the way Floria was gripping her table, shoulder's hunched and eyes squeezed shut. At first he'd thought she was trying to do a spell, but on second glance, he saw it was like she was moving so fast she was vibrating; like she was holding on.

Scarlett and Samuel just had time to exchange a glance before Floria Railshade disappeared into thin air.


	4. Chapter 3

There wasn't a lot of time to ask questions before Scarlett was being shoved to the floor. Almost seconds after Floria had disappeared, an alarm had sounded; a kind of screeching noise that was so painful she had to press her hands firmly to her ears. It seemed everybody knew what the noise meant except her, one by one people started dropping face first onto the floor and it was long before Samuel was pushing her down.

Everyone was quiet even after the alarm had stopped. She was very aware of Samuel breathing heavily next to her, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that this alarm didn't go off every often.

They'd been lying on the floor for about fifteen minutes when the power went off and the lack of sunlight meant the school was left in total darkness.

_It was just like this the first time she visited the school._

She shook her head.

_The alarm was going off as they guided her downstairs._

Scarlett went back to focusing on Samuel's breathing to calm herself.

After what felt like a very long time, one of the school's security soldiers appeared in the doorway. He'd created a ball of orange light in his hand, filling the room with a warm glow.

"Right;" he bellowed into the classroom, "You know the protocol."

"Permission to move, sir?" Professor Harklone spoke for the first time since the alarm, raising his voice above the worried chatter that had broken out.

"Permission granted;" the soldier responded, "everybody move to your posts sharpish."

He disappeared from the doorway and the students started to move, pushing themselves off the ground and filing out into the corridor.

"What's going on?" Scarlett hissed as Samuel put a guiding arm on her back.

"We're going into usual lockdown state," he said, giving her a quizzical look; "didn't you have it in your old school?"

Scarlett nodded; "-but it was a little different to this. There were only three hundred of us."

They made their way down the grand staircase together, though she wasn't entirely sure where she was supposed to go was the same as Samuel.

"What's your score?" he asked as they quickened their pace.

She frowned; "What?"

Samuel gave an impatient click of his tongue; "In your capacity test: what did you score?"

"Oh," she shrugged; "4.6"

Samuel raised his eyebrows. If he didn't believe her, he didn't say so.

"Good," he smiled; "you can come to the guard with me."

"The guard?"

He pushed her out the main entrance and out into the cold night air.

"That's right newbie;" he spoke, "you're on patrol."

"And _you _are?"

The guard leader couldn't have been much older than Scarlett and she got the impression he was a senior. All the same, when she approached the guard hut half a mile into the forest, he'd looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Don't worry," Samuel's tone was calm; "She averaged over a 4 in her capacity test."

The leader rolled his eyes, adjusting his gun in his right hand. "I don't give a shit what she scored- I don't exactly have time to show her the ropes."

Samuel protested; "But-"

"She should go back to her dorms or the basement, like most of the other novices."

The voice came out of nowhere. "I can vouch for her."

Scarlett whipped her head around and saw the blond girl from earlier approaching. She had her waist length hair tied behind her head in one long ponytail, showing off her small pixie ears. She was dressed head to toe in leather and was strapping a school assigned gun in her waistband as she approached.

The leader looked annoyed. "Amelia, you don't even know the girl."

"And therefore it's my problem if something happens to her;" she retorted, sounding almost bored by the conversation.

"_Please _Jake;" she stared at him, unblinking.

The leader, who Scarlett now knew to be Jake, nodded and spun on his heels, marching off between the trees and barking orders.

Samuel looked relieved; "Thanks Ams."

_Ams?_

She smirked at him; "Just kit her out and _be careful_. I haven't got time to be picking up after you all night."

They shared a brief look and then she stalked off alone, one hand on her waistband and the other outstretched, sparking electricity from her fingertips. It was only once she'd disappeared from sight that Scarlett looked up at Samuel.

"So what exactly is the guard?"

"Exactly what it sounds like;" Samuel reached into the hut nearby and started shuffling around and opening boxes. "We guard the school grounds and are in charge of looking for Floria while we're at it."

He threw a blue vest at her.

"You have to be over sixteen and score higher than a four on your capacity test."

Scarlett nodded – four made sense. The highest you could score was a five and the higher you scored, the better you were at using magic for combat. It had been her speciality at Polar's school.

"Not many people score over a four;" he continued, "so when they do they're automatically assigned here."

"I wasn't," she pointed out, pulling the vest over her head.

"Yes," he smiled, "But _you _haven't shown up to a single lesson since you've been here."

Scarlett bit her lip. "What did Amelia score?" she questioned, changing the subject.

"A 4.85," he said, coming out of the hut now; "but she wasn't naturally gifted in combat like most of us. She wanted it so she worked for it. Now she's the best in the whole school except for Jake, _and _she's second in command. You've got to respect her."

Scarlett shuffled, slightly narked, though she didn't know why.

"What?" Mark's words came out more harshly than he'd intended. His patience was wearing thin and Daniel's constant staring was one thing he didn't have time for.

Daniel raised his eyebrows and shrugged; "I'm just waiting for you to tell me what you think is going on."

Mark rolled his eyes, "how the _fuck _would I know?" He moved from a crouching position and fell back against the wall.

"Well, you're usually Mr know-it-all with your theories when something like this happens."

He punched Daniel in the arm, hard.

They were in the basement, their usual point of call when the alarm went off. Both of the boys were on kitchen duty, which meant if there was a large disaster and the school was in lockdown for a long period of time, the boys and a group of others were responsible for feeding the school. However, on the occasion when the alarm did go off, often everyone was back to normal in a few hours. Mostly, the boys didn't have anything to do but wait. They had acquired their usual spot in the basement, behind a pile of boxes that contained spare gym kits and sports equipment. More importantly, it was where no one could see that they were drinking. Daniel leant over and passed Mark the glass bottle; "So, truth or dare?"

Mark snorted and took a swig; "_Hilarious." _

"Maybe we should play;" the other responded, a mischievous look on his face.

"That would be pointless;" Mark countered. "I already know everything about you _and _I am sure there isn't a dare we haven't already done for fun."

Daniel pouted; "I could be full of mysteries for all you know."

"Could you now?" Mark laughed and took another swig before passing the bottle to Daniel. He was just able to make out the shape of his face in the dim lighting, his shiny mess of black hair making the light practically bounce off his head. He grinned at his friend.

He coughed; "_What _kind of mysteries?"

Daniel tapped his nose; "that's for me to know."

_Yeah, right; _Mark thought. Discrepancy was not one of Daniel's strong suits. "Oh you'll tell me eventually;" was his response.

Daniel's eyes twinkled; "make me."

Mark paused for a moment before shaking his head. "_Douchebag" _he muttered, but he was still smiling.

Samuel guided Scarlett round the back of the school building and into the depths of the forest. They'd gone east, the only direction none of the rest of the guard had gone and his usual post. He'd taken the lead, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to check she was still there. Her lips were pressed in a straight line. She'd chosen not to carry a gun, despite Samuel's nagging. In fact, she'd practically recoiled at the idea. Now, she was walking with her hands outstretched, ready to use her magic. So far he hadn't seen her use any magic and was intrigued as to whether she had a speciality or not. With a score of 4.6, it would be surprising if she didn't.

Her eyes flickered up from the floor and glared at him; "What?"

"Nothing;" he responded a little too quickly, whipping his head back around.

"I can take care of myself;" she said, firmly.

"Did I _say _you couldn't?"

Scarlett clearly knew the question was rhetorical, but by the way she was shifting uncomfortably, Samuel knew she was itching to retort.

They made their way into a clearing where the moonlight shone between the gaps in the trees. Samuel switched off his torch and paced around, instructing Scarlett to stay put and guard him. He disappeared off into the trees, walking with caution into the darkness. It was too dark to see much at all, even with the moonlight. He let himself wonder for a moment whether Floria had been practicing a spell as this was all a misunderstanding – but deep down he knew he was cleverer than to assume it was something as simple as that. He'd never really spoken to Floria before, accept for one time at a party when he'd been drunk and asked her whether she'd rather be in Jaws or Jurassic Park. But even so he knew she wouldn't have gotten herself wrapped up in any dark magic _or _even demons for that matter. She just wasn't the type. She was quirky and interesting for sure, though that was as far as it went. Thinking this, he couldn't help but feel unnerved as he searched the forest in front of him. He couldn't help but shake the thought that something awful had happened-

It happened so quickly that as wrapped up in his thoughts as he was, Samuel could've missed it.

The light from Scarlett's torch in the distance gave out and he was enveloped in darkness. Even though he had his back to her light, he knew it had gone off before he turned around.

There was a moment of silence.

Then her screams filled his ears and he was running, running so fast back to her he thought his lungs couldn't take it. He tore through the trees, the branches clawing at his arms and his face.

He reached the clearing in a matter of seconds and there was Scarlett, scrambling around on the floor and screaming loud enough for it to be heard from the school. There was mud on her face as if she'd been rolling around in the dirt and there was a look of pure terror in her eyes.

"Scarlett?" his voice was full of questions as he threw himself on the floor next to her.

"_Nate_?" she whispered, looking off into the distance, her eyes glassy.

"No;" Samuel bit his lip; "it's me, Samuel."

She shook her head; "No, Nate."

"Jesus Christ." Samuel's head shot up at the voice. Amelia was standing on the other side of Scarlett; she had a knife in her hand, as if she had been prepared for a fight. "What..." she said, breathless; "the hell...is going on?"

"I don't know!" Samuel hissed, glancing back to Scarlett who was struggling in his grip. "She just went crazy."

"Fucks sake Sam, I thought something bad had happened;" her tone came across annoyed. Amelia's eyes tore away from Samuel for a moment, squinting out ahead of her. Her expression changed, only for a moment, as if you might miss it if you blinked; then she was back looking at Scarlett.

"I have to say;" she drawled, "so far she's disappointed me."

Samuel shot her a glare; "What?"

"If the stories are true, this girl is fucking kick-ass;" she raised an eyebrow now; "Clearly not."

Samuel's chest felt tight, for the first time slightly irritated at Amelia. He rolled his eyes; "Ams, shouldn't you be at your post?"

She shrugged; "Jack found Floria about ten minutes ago."

A million questions came to him at once, but he shook them away hastily. "Right then;" he said, his tone emotionless; "first things first, help me get Scarlett to the hospital wing."


	5. Chapter 4

The day it happened, it had been raining at Polar's Academy. Not drizzle, but heavy rain accompanied by a strong wind that rattled the thin windows of the old and poorly built school. Scarlett had been in independent study, sitting on the spiral staircase that led to the laundry rooms. She was leaning on Harry, reading a book and letting the sound of his heartbeat calm her thoughts. It was a peaceful morning in which she hadn't expected to be called to the head teacher's office. She certainly hadn't expected to never be returning to the school. But when she walked into the office and saw two men, dressed head to toe in blue, she knew something was wrong. Even then, it wasn't necessarily being in Professor Kale's office or the two law guards that ruffled her, but more the shimmering white portal behind them. Witches and Warlocks didn't use portals unless it was absolutely vital. They drained power from whoever had created it and drew too much attention. So it was when she spotted this portal that the blood drained from Scarlett's face. Ashen, she gulped and nodded towards the men and let them guide her through the portal without question.

She landed; sickened to her stomach, on the doorstep of a grand building she knew to be Ravens' Boarding School – Nate's school.

What hit her first was the noise. The deafening alarm that made her feel as if her insides were shattering, tearing themselves apart.

The taller and overall rounder of the two law guards had put his hand on her shoulder, a tight grip that made her feel as if she were about to be punished. "This way;" he'd said, raising his voice over the alarm. He'd pulled open the door with his free hand and pushed her through it. He'd indicated towards a concrete staircase to her right, which descended down into darkness. She had shakily taken the steps down, her body loose and unable to support her. Her mind was whirring with questions; why she was here, whether she was going to see Nate, what she'd done and what the alarm was. She couldn't focus and if it weren't for that constant hand on her shoulder, she wouldn't have stayed standing.

At the bottom of the stairs had been a long and narrow corridor, the same grey concrete covered the walls, ugly and industrially lit. The steel door closest to her on her right was slightly a jar and the other law guard, the one who wasn't touching her, opened it fully. Still, it was only when they guided her through that she'd realised she was in a morgue.

Then everything became a blur.

The doctors-

The white sheet-

The body-

Her own heartbeat-

And that alarm, still screaming at her even this far below the school.

And they kept calling her 'ma'am' and she kept thinking how strange that was. Like how suddenly a loss made her important. That she suddenly deserved respect for standing by as her parents sent her brother away and she let them do it and now she would never be able to make up for it.

Little did she know at the time, but they'd do the exact same thing to her.

When Scarlett woke the sun was up, peeping through the window with the light and warmth she hadn't seen in a long time. It was the middle of the night and the school was almost certainly sleeping, but the infirmary was busy. Doctors moved by her, treating groaning students in beds, many of whom looked as if they were suffering from the same type of injury. She wondered what had happened last night; whether hell had broken lose after she-

After she-

She tried to raise her head from the pillow, noticing for the first time how much it hurt. She could hear her pulse rattling through her skull and making her head feel as if it was throbbing. She lay back down, defeated.

It took her a while to notice that a woman was standing at the foot of her bed.

Her hair was greying from a rich brown, pinned behind her head in a neat bun. She wasn't tall, but still taller than Scarlett, towering over her bed and eyeing her through her spectacles. She smoothed her long skirt with her ageing hands and cleared her throat. "You're not injured;" she spoke, "if that's what you're wondering."

Scarlett made an attempt to raise her eyebrows.

"You were just given a sedative to calm you down." The woman moved to the side of Scarlett's bed and offered a hand. "As you can see, it's the middle of the night;" she stated, "I am tired and would appreciate it if you would make an effort to get up."

Scarlett let out a low whine. The pain in her head was unbearable.

"Oh it's not that bad;" the woman said dismissively, as if reading her mind. "Just a sedative;" she repeated.

Clenching her teeth, Scarlett took the hand offered to her and pulled herself into a sitting position.

She breathed deeply, focusing on moving and her head and the woman and the kids in the hospital and anything that wasn't the memory of last night.

She stood up.

The woman smiled; "I'm Professor Winters, your headteacher."

_Oh shit. _Scarlett let out a low whistle.

"Indeed;" was all the woman said. She spun on her heel towards the door, clearly expecting Scarlett to follow without being asked. She led her out the infirmary and into a corridor which was nothing more than a large glass window and a set of stairs. The infirmary must be in one of the towers or turrets, she thought. Professor Winters put her hand on the banister and turned back to face Scarlett.

"I know it's hard to settle in;" she said with forced sympathy, "-but truancy will not be tolerated." She gave Scarlett a knowing look; "Most of the students here have been through something similar, this _is _a good school and far from any type of civilization or distractions, it's a chance to make something of yourself or in your case, to _redeem_ yourself."

She smoothed her skirt again. "You've been given an opportunity, don't waste it." Professor Winters took off down the stairs, Scarlett on her heel, jogging through her headache to keep up. The teacher continued to talking, calling out behind her; "You went to a lesson yesterday. You proved yourself useful at the guard;" she affirmed; "I see no need to punish you."

Scarlett sensed a _but _coming.

"-but;" there it was; "you have to prove yourself to me now."

The Professor smiled again; "The Missions start soon, I hope to see you making an effort."

Scarlett nodded, though she had no idea what the Missions were. They were at the bottom of the stairs now, before a set of double doors that led to the main entryway. It was silent beyond them, not even security disturbing the sleeping building.

Professor Winters was facing her now. She had a kind face - one that had been worn down into something harsher over the years – but still kind somewhere underneath.

"There's one last thing," her voice was low now they were closer to the main building; "As you know Floria Railshade disappeared in your class yesterday. I have been informed she _did_ _in fact_, time-travel."

Scarlett gasped quietly and furrowed her eyebrows. She'd heard stories for sure, but she didn't believe them to be true. Warlocks were not usually known to have one of the big three powers.

She spoke for the first time, her voice croaky; "If she has one of the big three... then-"

"Yes," Winters nodded, pushing her spectacles up her nose; "It does exist. She is lucky _or_ unfortunate, depending on your view of the big three."

Winters swallowed; "My reason for speaking to you of this is that, when she woke, she told us she travelled back to the night of the 1st two years ago."

Scarlett felt her chest tighten. She grabbed her shirt, noticing for the first time she was still wearing yesterday's clothes. Seeing Scarlett's expression, Professor Winter's caught herself mid-sentence and paused for a moment before saying; "I'm sorry I can't imagine you'd want to hear this."

Scarlett swallowed, shaking her head aggressively; "What did Floria tell you?" she breathed; "_word for word._"

The Professor hesitated for a moment, giving Scarlett a look both of concern and sympathy. She started her sentence several times before she managed to stammer it out; "She said-" Professor Winters closed her eyes for a moment; "She _said_ that 'he was there, his brown eyes fading into darkness.'"

Scarlett's breath came out shaky; "_Nate._"


	6. Chapter 5

"I am so pumped for today;" Mark's excited tone had raised his voice several octaves.

Daniel picked his feet up lazily, yawning as he made his way down the stairs; "Which part?"

"Yeah;" Samuel laughed, "The Missions _finally _starting or the party later?"

Mark snorted; "What do you think?"

The boys laughed as they made their way towards their first assignment of the year: _The Missions. _The final test. History, Written Spells, Coordinates, all those classes were designed to help students pass the Missions: a set of six quests throughout two years, your score on them determining how well you pass the years, or whether you pass them at all. Their score on the Missions would decide which type of job they would be qualified for in the future. Now seventeen, Samuel, Mark and Daniel were a year away from leaving school and it was their turn to participate in the missions. Exciting and life threatening, Samuel couldn't remember the last time he'd gone a day without thinking about them.

They made their way outside and on to the open space of grass where their year group was gathering. The moon was high in the cloudless sky and it was surprisingly bright. Samuel breathed in the fresh air and immersed himself in the crowd, practically giddy. He spotted familiar faces, Scarlett first and he took a space beside her. Behind him, Mark and Daniel raised their eyebrows.

"Hey;" Samuel greeted, poking her in the side. Scarlett turned around and smiled weakly. She looked like she hadn't slept at all, the circles under her eyes dark enough to match her hair. She was wearing her own clothes, a navy shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. She yawned into her hand, and then folded her arms. She leant into his side; "I believe a thanks are in order."

"For what?"

"Taking me to the infirmary;" she explained, nodding over to Mark and Daniel; "Those two told me the story."

Samuel snorted; "Of course they did." He paused and ran a hand through his hair; "How are you feeling?"

She tensed; "Better." Something about that sentence told Samuel he wasn't going to get anything else out of her.

Either way, he wouldn't have had the opportunity. Arthia, the fierce senior instructor, clicked her fingers and hovered herself above the crowd, sitting cross-legged mid-air and looking down at the year group. She tied her black hair into a ponytail and then cleared her throat; "Welcome novices."

The crowd was a constant buzzing murmur, anticipation radiating off every student.

"The time has come for your turn to participate in the Missions;" she smiled. "Of course you all know what they are, and I am delighted to be here to guide you through your journey." Her face changed. Arthia straightened her back; "But you are to be warned-"

Samuel heard Mark and Daniel nudging one another excitedly from behind him.

"-the Missions are not for the fainthearted. As you know, the Missions are compulsory. However, if you show incompetence or are too low in score, you will be disqualified and expected to find other means of qualification. That is my first warning." Arthia swallowed, her face was fierce; "Now, you must be aware that during the missions you will be facing real threats. You will be thrown into danger; do not have any illusions about that."

Samuel felt Scarlett tense again, this time she was rigid, like she was prepared for battle.

Even ten feet off the ground, Arthia was stable and strong; "My last warning is to the Warlocks. Unlike your Witch friends, you are immortal. But you should not think that as an advantage or protection from danger. You _can _be killed. You are not invincible."

The instructor uncrossed her legs. She was now standing in the air, legs apart and arms folded. Her voice softened slightly; "Now, for the rules."

Samuel held his breath. He was more frightened than he had been but adrenaline was pumping through his veins and it was nearing impossible to keep still.

"You will be split into teams of three or four. This will be your team for the entire two years. While you will be scored individually, another's performance affects yours so you must work together. Secondly, the vampires of this school will also be participating in the Missions. As we all know, you never see them or interact with them so I understand it will be strange to be face to face with the Silent Students. Nevertheless, foul play will not be accepted. You _are_ allowed to compete and hinder another team's work, but any violence which draws blood could result in disqualification."

Arthia paused. The crowd's buzz had now become a low hum. Fear had taken over.

"The Missions themselves are simple. You will not know what the Mission is until you're there. Each team will go through a portal to somewhere else in the country. It could be anything from a ship to desert land. There, you will be expected to fight any danger you may face and get back through a different portal which will be hidden somewhere. Your job is to find it and get back as quick as possible." Arthia eyed the crowd, weighing them up; "You will be scored on speed and survival."

The crowd erupted. Constant chatter, fears, theories, teams, the students had an idea for everything and Samuel couldn't help but turn and give Scarlett a wide grin. She smirked and rolled her eyes as if to say: _dork. _

"Now;" Arthia raised her voice; "-for the teams."

Everybody hushed.

Arthia began clicking her fingers; she had every team committed to memory and was recalling them. She announced the first team, Deal, Lucia, Gareth and Eva. Samuel made a face. That was one brutal team. Lucia was the most well-known girl in school and as vicious as anything. He also knew Gareth from the Guard, he was extremely skilled in combat and often forced to work alongside Jake, who never seemed too happy about it. Samuel's eyes scanned the crowd and sure enough, there was Jake to his right, letting out a relieved sigh. Arthia called out several more teams and friends were punching one another in the arm, faces happy at her choices.

Arthia waved her hand to shush the bubbling crowd. "Team Seven;" she called, "Samuel Alderwell-"

Samuel held his breath; the sound of his name came like a slap of reality. _He was really doing this._

"-Floria Railshade, Jake Scarpen and Scarlett Connor."

Next to him, Scarlett laughed a short, mad laugh. He looked down at her and she was already staring at him, her lips quirked into a wicked smile. He giggled and high fived her gleefully.

It took him a moment to register that there were other people surrounding them. The crowd had erupted into whispers at the sound of Floria's name. Samuel spotted her, head down and shuffling towards him quietly. She was just to his left, inches away. People were leering, wanting to see what condition the time-traveller was in after her disappearance yesterday. As if sensing she needed some help, Jake appeared out of nowhere, pushing people out of the way. "Hi;" Samuel heard him say in a low voice; "I'm Jake."

As usual, Floria's beautiful dark hair was behind her head in a messy bun and she scraped a loose piece out of her face impatiently. She glanced up at Jake and the bangles on her wrist jangled as she shook his hand.

The pair reached Samuel and Scarlett in no time and the four of them stood in an awkward circle. The attention was off them now and back to Arthia who announced Mark and Daniel where together in a team with Amelia Darkenholme. Samuel let out a snort and turned around, punching Mark in the arm. "Congrats;" he creased, "just want you've always wanted."

"Oh _shut up_;" Daniel said, but he was smiling at Mark; "you and me, eh?"

Mark shrugged and Daniel looked hurt; "Yeah, us and the ice queen."

They both looked too their right where Amelia was standing. She was easy to spot, stood away from the crowd, looking irritated with the other students and pretending to be interested in her nails. She threw a look Mark and Daniel's way, quirking an eyebrow as she weighed them up. She didn't move or make any attempt to talk to the boys. Instead, she glanced sideways, off into the trees like she was looking at something. She raised both her eyebrows now and smirked. Scarlett furrowed her eyebrows and followed Amelia's train of sight.

Just for a second she thought she saw a boy standing in the trees.

And just like that, Scarlett started to piece the puzzle together.


	7. Chapter 6

After Arthia dismissed the year group, they were given the day off to spend their time as they wished. With the Missions starting the next day, it was expected to prepare for it and almost as soon as they were dismissed, Mark was dragging both his and Samuel's group to the library. Now, they were in their favourite corner of the library, the two teams sat on different tables, talking in hushed tones.

Scarlett's head was in her palm as she lazily flicked through _History of the Mission Qualification_. "I don't see how we _can _actually prepare for this;" she sighed, looking to Samuel in desperation.

"Well," Jake shrugged, leaning forward; "As long as we're prepared for combat and all know our survival skills, we should be fine."

"_Survival skills_?" Floria chirped; "how long do you think the Mission will last exactly?" Her tone came across annoyed, but on second glance it was obvious she was nervous. She twisted one of the beads on her eccentric earrings.

"I heard one of the finales last year went on for three days before anyone came back;" Jake explained, his elbows now on the table.

"That was a _finale_ though;" Scarlett stated, her face blank; "you're just winding everyone up."

Jake shot her a look; "Woah _sorry_," he said in a voice that suggested he was anything but.

Floria and Samuel shared a bemused glance.

Scarlett narrowed her eyes. Jake had silk hair that could either be blonde or brown but it was impossible to tell. His eyes were similar, they could be green or hazel, but again, it was impossible to tell. He was conventionally pretty, Scarlett supposed; like Samuel. But unlike Samuel, Jake had a smirk that was clearly his natural state. The rest of his body language was similar; he presented himself as if he were the prime minister or a wealthy business man. That alongside his amazing combat skills and obvious ladies' man persona, she couldn't help but want to slap him.

Finally, she waved a hand dismissively; "why don't you go charm another team into telling us their plans?" she spat.

"Maybe we should consider actually doing that;" Samuel perked up, innocently; "you know, get some allies."

Scarlett looked as if that were the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard; "over my dead body."

"I accept that as a condition;" Jake said lightly.

"If you've nothing productive to say-"

"I do _actually_."

Floria raised her brows and sunk lower into her seat. She watched the pair with fascination, wondering how they'd managed to come to loathe one another in the space of a few seconds.

"I think that Samuel's right" Jake said, a sense of smugness in his tone; "We need allies. After all;" - he gestured to the table behind him where Amelia sat with her arms folded as Mark scribbled ideas down enthusiastically – "we have friends on other teams."

"I am not blind or stupid;" Scarlett said flatly, "but thank you for stating the obvious."

Silently, Jake threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Are you done?"

Shaking his head, Jake pushed his chair out and left.

Floria leaned forward, her face in her hands. Scarlett noticed she had a ring on every finger.

"That was a bit harsh;" Floria said smoothly, "-if you don't mind me saying."

"Do I need to tell you what he's like?" Scarlett asked rhetorically.

Floria shook her head, while Jake had been nothing but polite to her, she'd heard the stories. People three towns over had heard the stories.

"Exactly;" Scarlett glanced over to Samuel, who had been quiet for a while. "_Guys,"_ she whispered softly; "I had to shoot him down. He'd have tried to take over and make the Mission into some kind of heroic, but suicidal quest."

Samuel sighed loudly; "Okay;" he breathed, "I see your point. But let's give him the benefit of the doubt of now. I get he's always been a show off, but you don't get to be the head of the Guard for nothing."

Scarlett rolled her eyes; "I'm not saying he's _not_ an asset."

Samuel spluttered; "_Really?"_

"I just didn't want him to walk in and act like he was doing _us _the favour."

Samuel shook his head now, looking at her quizzically; "you don't even know him."

"You're basing this all on his reputation;" Floria chimed in.

Scarlett shrugged; "Do any of us know him?"

The silence that followed was an answer in itself.

Amelia hated parties. That didn't mean she wasn't going of course, just that her journey from the dorms to the common room might take her a lot longer than was necessary. The third floor corridor was quiet this time of night, nothing but the sunrise shining through the cracks in the shutters. She ran her left hand along the wall as she walked, humming softly to herself in an attempt to soothe her thoughts. The Missions began tomorrow, and she couldn't say she wasn't nervous. She knew that they should be what were bothering her, but they weren't. What was occupying Amelia's mind was whether or not she should talk to _him. _Over the past few months the pair had built up a type of non-verbal communication but never once talked, stolen smirks and nods, and never once had she questioned why he was following her or why no one could see him.

He was there _now_ of course, arms folded and leaning against the wall at the end of the corridor, the one that led to the games room. His hair was plastered against his forehead, a shaggy blonde mess that he clearly made no attempt to tame. He was wearing his usual jeans and jumper, arms folded, face in his permanent amused expression. Amelia always felt that expression was taunting her, daring her to speak to him or touch him.

Amelia was a lot closer to the game room now and she could hear a mixture of music and chatter and warmth steaming out from the closed door. She reached the door, gripping the handle. She was right beside him and though this was the closest she'd ever been too him, she was unfazed. In fact, at that precise moment Amelia was still trying to figure out whether it was endearing or annoying that she seemed to have acquired a stalker. She smoothed her free hand down her tight black dress and forced herself to look up. His brown eyes reminded her of black voids, mainly because once he caught her in a stare, she found it impossible to look away. She fell into them as usual and quirked an eyebrow. The sound of her own voice shocked her.

"Something to say?" she teased, her heart beating just that little bit faster.

Surprise flickered across his face. She opened the door and into the party.

To have a party the day before the start of the Missions was a tradition in Ravens' Boarding School. Strictly speaking, any type of party was banned, but it occurred every year and by now nobody was under any illusion that it didn't happen. It was the one night of the year the teachers were guaranteed to turn a blind eye. The games 'room' actually consisted of three large rooms, that were tonight alive with the buzz of hundreds of seventeen, eighteen and nineteen year olds. The room was dimly lit, smelt of alcohol and reminded Jake of a sleazy, backstreet human night club; but he wasn't inclined to complain. He stood off to one corner, watching the party and not feeling a particular urge to get involved. It wasn't that Jake didn't _enjoy _parties, but rather he wasn't sure where he fit into them. He was used to routine and responsibilities, and something about a banned party didn't sit well in his mind. He was too focused on the Mission to pay much attention. That was, until he saw a bottle of beer hovering in front of his face.

"Drink?"

Floria was standing before him, shoving the bottle into his hand before he had a chance to answer. She was wearing a ripped green top and shorts and was grinning. He couldn't help but notice she looked slightly awkward, despite her expression. She didn't particularly look like she wanted to be in his company at all, despite it being her choice. He took the bottle. He gave her a second glance; "So what's the ulterior motive for the drink?"

"Does there need to be one?" she questioned, rolling her eyes.

"No," he said, carefully; "you just don't look like you do this often."

"I don't;" she snapped, "it's called being nice, so shut up and drink your beer."

"Okay then," Jake took a large swig theatrically whilst giving her a sideways glance.

She smiled at the floor; "Okay then."

"Come on," Amelia's tone made it clear it was more of a demand than a request. From this view, it was obvious that she was now intoxicated and had no idea what she was doing. She was standing on a chair next to a large speaker. She had her arms outstretched as a gesture, staring at him with a firm look. He was _of course _at the party too and had _of course _been watching her. A new song began to sing out of the speakers, which he only recognised as _Helena Beat _by _Foster the People_ because he'd already seen it on her IPod in her bedroom several days earlier. She stepped off the chair and into the centre of the makeshift dance floor. Lights rayed around her and she illuminated shades of red and orange. Her arms were still out wide, creating space around her. He noticed her hair, floating down her chest and her grey eyes that were unblinking. But mostly he noticed her rouge lipstick. He'd never seen her wear makeup before and now it was difficult to look anywhere else. "Well?" she yelled over the music, she was clearly unsure as to what he'd do which was understandable, he had to remind himself. They'd never spoken properly. Nevertheless, he pushed himself off the wall and engulfed himself in the dance floor. His pace was slow and when he eventually reached her, his hands reached around her waist at a similar speed. Hesitantly, her hands went around his neck and in his hair. They swayed to the music. They still hadn't spoken a word and it was only then he realised it wasn't important.

Samuel laughed as he crouched down to the floor, "Jesus, what did you take?"

Scarlett, who was sitting cross legged under the drinks table, shot him a look. "Nothing;" she spluttered, "it's called alcohol, you should try it some time."

He rolled his eyes; "Oh ha ha," he pushed her to one side and climbed in, letting the table cloth fall back and separate them from the room. "Shove over," he said, lightly pushing her to the side.

"Shouldn't you be with Mark and Daniel?" she asked, moving over, "I thought you three were like the brothers Grimm, hatching up evil plans and joined at the hip."

Samuel raised his eyebrows, clearly thinking she was peculiar, and stuck his arm out from under the table, only to pull it back a moment later with a cider in his hand. "They wanted to be by themselves," he shrugged, "they're acting weird."

There was a pause, "And anyway, there's only two brothers Grimm."

"Ah," Scarlett grinned, "clearly they knew that."

He allowed himself to laugh again and took a drink, surveying Scarlett. Her hair had gone static from rubbing up against the table. He smiled; "how's your first Ravens party?"

"Intimidating."

"If it helps," Samuel bit his lip, "it's been an odd one for most too. I can't find anyone, Jake is actually _here _for once and Amelia just took over the dance floor and starting dancing with this blonde dude-"

Scarlett's face fell, "-like she hates everyone, the girl has no friends, then she walks in looking a million dollars – if you like that kind of thing – and is off with some guy I have never seen-"

Scarlett jumped up, banging her head on the table but barely feeling it. Complaints came from people standing around the drinks table. "I _knew _I was right," she muttered, glancing at Samuel, "where did you say Amelia was?"

Samuel frowned, "What is going on?"

Scarlett, offering no explanation, shot out from under the table cloth and to the doorway that led to the dance floor. Sighing loudly, Samuel knew there wasn't much choice but to follow her. As he crawled out, he spotted the top of her head disappearing into the main room. By the time he reached her, she was staring blankly at the dancers.

"They're not here," she stated before he had a chance to speak. Her shoulders sunk, deflated. "I'm going mad," she whispered.

Samuel lent over, bending into her. "Scar-" he said breathlessly, "what's going on?" He touched her arm softly and she looked up. His eyes were concerned.

"I don't know," she admitted; "I had this stupid hunch and now-"

"Now?"

Scarlett shook her head. "Nothing," she threw her arms up, half laughing; "Nothing! I heard _one thing_ about Floria and I-"

"Floria?" Samuel interrupted, "did she tell you something too?" He'd straightened up suddenly, looking alert.

"Wait, what?" Scarlett's eyes were hopeful, she gripped his hand; "what did she say to you?"

Samuel fell silent. The pair looked at one another with utter confusion. Irritable, Scarlett snapped; "was it something about my brother?"

Samuel dropped his hand, trying not to sound disappointed. "Your brother?" he asked, weakly.

Seeing that he was clueless, Scarlett pulled away; "Don't worry." Hanging her head lifelessly, she gave him a half-hearted smile and walked away.


	8. Chapter 7

"Are you ready?"

Amelia opened one eye, looking to the foot of her bed. He stood there, looking almost impatient, running a hand through his hair. Yawning, she threw the duvet back and swung her legs over the side of her bed. The setting sun creaked through the rotting shutters, dull light making the room just visible. Amelia Darkenholme, fitting with her character, did not have a room in the novice dormitories. Shortly after she arrived at the school, some five years ago, she found an old room on the third floor, behind the staff staircase. The paintwork was chipped just about everywhere, the lights didn't work, it was awfully cold in the winter and there was what Amelia suspected were birds living in the boarded up chimney. Nevertheless, she found it preferable over sharing a room and, over the years had managed to personalise the room. She'd covered the bleak walls with postcards, newspaper cuttings and pictures, the rotten armchair was covered by a blanket, and there were books covering just about every inch of floor. These books were in piles of what Amelia liked to think was an organised mess. Now awake early for the missions, the draft hit her as she stood up, biting at her bare legs, arms, stomach and just about anywhere that wasn't covered by her underwear.

"Are you ready?" he repeated again, watching her cross the room and poke at her neat piles of clothes.

"You know," she said, as if she hadn't heard his question, "That is the first time you've said a word to me." She shivered and pulled on her black pants slowly, her muscles still stiff from sleep. She threw him a look as she bent over, offering him a smile; "I like your voice, though."

"I thought it was time," he spoke, his voice deep and soft. He was still frozen by the bed, watching. She pulled on a strapless black top that zipped up at the front. It was extremely tight and ended just before her hips – typical fighting gear; it was compact and kept itself out of the way. After she'd pulled on her boots, she tiptoed to the other side of the room, across the creaking floorboards and to the mantelpiece over the old fire. She picked up and hairband and shoved her hair into a ponytail effortlessly. "So," she said her back to him as she slid two swords into their sheaths. The pair sat comfortably strapped across her back; "what's your name?"

Amelia spun on her heel and eyed him questioningly. His dark eyes danced anxiously; "Nate."

His name hung in the air as they simply stared at one another, Amelia frozen mid action. "Well," she smiled, stuttering slightly; "that's a start."

She pulled on her fingerless leather gloves and clasped her hands together. "I've got to go," she said gently. She moved past him and to the doorway, "I guess I'll see you later then?"

He returned her smile expectantly, "See you later."

The sky was a fading orange when Scarlett stumbled out of the building lazily. She stretched, clumsily fiddling with the straps on her weapons belt and walking in the general direction of the woods. It wasn't that she'd being sleeping a few minutes earlier; she just didn't appreciate being dragged out of her bed at such a ridiculous hour. Several other students, who clearly were thinking the same thing, were milling around the entrance to woods kitted out in combat gear and shuffling around restlessly. Floria was just in front of her, opting to wear a leather cat suit and black hair pulled tightly into a bun. Despite her professionalism, Scarlett noticed she was still wearing all her jewellery. She approached, glad to catch her on her own.

"Hi," Floria mumbled, nervously clasping her hands together; "prepared?"

Scarlett shrugged; "As we'll ever be, I guess."

Floria eyed her suspiciously without turning, coughing over the awkward silence. "Listen," she said, lowering her voice; "I know Winters told you about...when I travelled back."

Scarlett let out a relieved sigh. Since the head teacher had found her in the infirmary, she hadn't breathed a word to anyone about Nate or her feelings about reliving the experience.

Floria put a ringed hand on Scarlett's left arm hesitantly, which was shrugged off and she let it fall. "Is that why you're here?" she faltered, "The school, I mean?"

Scarlett, looking directly in front of her into the trees, shook her head. "No, I'm here as a punishment."

"A punishment?" Floria questioned, she knew she was being intrusive but the words were stumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them; "Sending you to the school your brother died?" She coughed again. "A bit harsh, isn't it?"

"Tell that to the Chamber."

"The Chamber?" Floria's voice was louder than she'd intended, shock flashing across her eyes; "_Jesus, _what did you do?"

"What about the Chamber?" a familiar voice came from behind Scarlett, "planning on breaking the law or something?" She turned to see Samuel, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking like he'd dressed in a hurry and still with a bedhead. She squinted as she looked up at him and he grinned, reaching out and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She batted his hand away.

"Mind your own business," Scarlett retorted.

At that moment, a shimmer caught both their eyes and they spun to their right. In front of them, Arthia was making portals, enough for one for each team. They glistened, silver bubbles several feet in the air giving only blurred images of the other side. Scarlett and Samuel exchanged glances as if to say: _this is it._

They watched as more groups of students materialized out the doors whilst the rest of the school slept, queuing up to be allocated to a portal. Without so much as a word from Arthia, the teams were sent off one by one. They formed a single line and when Jake appeared, he touched Floria's shoulder. "Hey team" he greeted, making his presence known, "we having a pep talk?"

Floria snorted quietly, "I think 'get in, find the portal and get out' should cover it." Without turning around, she could feel his eyes burning into the back of her skull and she wanted nothing more than too bat him away. _Why did he feel the need to stare at every girl with a pulse? _She thought. It was so intimidating and she hated that he could make her feel like that just by being around. Irritably, she took a step away and closer to the portals. As if on cue, Arthia's voice boomed towards them; "Team seven."

The four shuffled their way closer to the portal Arthia was standing by, a collection of stopwatches hanging from the nook of her elbow. She reached for the one labelled 'seven' and held it ready to start.

"Everyone here?" she counted them quickly and looked down at the watch, "Set." Scarlett gulped and bent her knees and arms. She was at the front of the queue, ready to jump. Arthia pressed the timer, "GO."

Scarlett jumped.

Several thousand miles across the ocean, Samuel rubbed his forehead which was now covered in a layer of dirt and bleeding. He grumbled and pulled himself into a sitting position. He tried to shake of the nausea bought on by being flung to a different location at the speed of light. He still hadn't bought himself to open his eyes.

"Everyone okay?" he called out, squinting. With his hands he could tell his immediate surroundings seemed to be nothing but concrete. He could smell dirt and hear the nose of water somewhere far away. As his eyes adjusted he saw he was in an empty building with extremely high ceilings, perhaps a warehouse of some kind.

"Well," he heard Jake's voice echo across the room, "I'm alive at least."

Samuel closed his eyes again and swallowed deeply. He still felt incredibly sick.

"Hey," he opened them to see Scarlett in front of him, holding out a hand, "first one's never easy."

He took her hand and stood up slowly; "you've been in a portal before?"

She nodded; "Oh yes."

Now he was standing, he was sure his first thought was right and that they were in a warehouse. It was desolate and clearly extremely unsafe. It was also daylight here, something he'd gotten so used to not seeing that he stared out of the smashed windows in awe. "I know," Scarlett whispered beside him. He gave her a momentary glimpse: she had her eyes closed as the sun illuminated her face. Her skin was like porcelain, so beautifully pale. He wanted to touch it, but he remembered what Floria had told him in a stolen corner of the infirmary, just minutes after he'd bought Scarlett in a week ago. _All in good time, _he thought.

He turned away and saw Jake across the space. His gear was torn at the left knee, but other than that he seemed perfectly fine. "Have you seen Floria?" he shouted, his gaze darting around.

"Here," a voice responded from their left, "just give me a sec-"

They heard Floria before they saw her. She was clattering in the room next door and into sight, limping slightly but otherwise untouched. She batted her dark hair out of her face. "Ready?" she asked when she was just a few feet away.

Scarlett nodded; "So what's the plan?"

"I don't think we should split up," Floria said, adjusting her weapons belt with what looked like a great deal of effort. She winced inwardly.

"Agreed," Scarlett confirmed.

"So let's search the building," Samuel took the lead, sulking off to the right. The building was clearly only one floor, though there was nothing to say how large it was. Each room was similar, a high ceilinged, empty concrete box, that showed no sign of life or a portal for that matter. It was clearly abandoned and perhaps near water, as the sound of waves colliding against rocks was impossible to miss. They were all silent, splitting up whenever they entered a new room.

"Scarlett?" Floria whispered. She approached Scarlett in a forgotten corner of one of the rooms which they'd figured out was once a storage unit. She touched her arm; "About earlier…"

Scarlett looked up from the floor, frowning; "what about it?"

"Well, your brother died _in_ the _school_-" Floria hesitated. She was standing uncomfortably. Eventually she sighed; "Well, do you see what I'm getting at here?"

"The Bound curse?" Scarlett suggested blankly.

Floria raised her eyebrows and then turned around; checking none of the others heard them. "I'm not saying it's real-"

Scarlett was expressionless; "Then what are you saying?"

Floria bit her lip; "Maybe you should talk to-"

"Amelia?" Scarlett interrupted, again. Floria let out a low laugh and smiled with relief. She wiped her sweaty palms on her trousers; "So you've been thinking the same as me?"

Scarlett nodded and lent into Floria, lowering her voice; "There's no reason we should be thinking this, but something's not right," she hissed, "Do you think she knows he's my brother?"

"To be honest," Floria shrugged; "I'm not even sure she knows he's dead."

"Keep going;" Daniel urged. Mark was in front of him, running through the desolate airport which they'd figured out was in Montreal, USA. Mark paused and waited for Daniel, who was falling behind, carrying an unconscious Amelia over his shoulder.

"You go on;" Mark said, "I have an idea." Blue mist unravelled out of Mark's palm, creeping along the floor and realising a toxic gas in the room they'd just come from. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Daniel hissed in his ear, adjusting Amelia's weight.

With his free arm, Mark stretched it in front of Daniel to stop him moving forward; "They can't follow us now."

Daniel shook his head; "This could _kill _them."

"If Lucia wants to fight dirty," Mark sneered, "then we will." The gas crept all the way down the corridor, slithering under the cracks of nearby doors.

"But-"

"Look," he barked; "First they get Amelia, whose next? _You?" _He shook his head, "No, I'm not going to let that happen."

Daniel gulped and quietened, patting Mark's arm; "Okay," he whispered.

Stumbling, the pair made their way through the airport in a bubble of uncomfortable silence.

"Behind you!"

Scarlett ducked and crouched on the floor. She pulled a blade out of its sheath and held it out in front of her defensively. With her free hand she sparked electricity from her fingertips and shot it out towards where the noise was coming from. It crackled against the steel pillars with immense power, shattering the closest set of windows with a thundering crash. Now crouched next to her, Samuel whistled. "So that's your speciality?" he breathed with a smile; "Miss 4.6."

Scarlett turned to him, her face plastered with a grin. She nudged him playfully; "you think that was impressive?" she questioned; "You ain't seen nothin' yet."

Footsteps pattered behind them and Floria threw herself down next to them; "Any idea what that was?"

"Not human," Jake contributed, joining them.

Scarlett hesitated, "They wouldn't…set demons on us, would they- this early on?"

Again, Samuel whistled; "Let's hope not."

Their eyes wondered to where the attack had come from just a few minutes ago. It had been a hissing sound that had warned them, shortly followed by some kind of pellet firing which they hadn't figured out yet.

Jake set out a low breath and put his gun away; "Come on," he said; "let's keep moving."

Nodding, Scarlett tore her eyes away from the direction the attack had come from. The four of them moved their way into the only room they hadn't been in yet. Sure enough, it was just as empty as the rest of them. What was different about this room, however, was that there was a large steel door in the centre of the far wall. "Hell yes!" Samuel cheered, picking up his pace and running across the room. When he reached it, after a few moments of tugging, he pulled it open. A sea breeze hit them at a gushing speed, causing them all to take a step back.

In front of them stood a footstep's length of concrete and then it dropped straight down into a brown, choppy sea that was thrashing against the building and splashing Samuel's ankles. Ahead of the sea was nothing. No land, no boats or even sunshine, nothing.

"Oh _shit," _Jake cursed. His gaze was fixed on the vast sea to their right, where, about a quarter of a mile ahead, was a glistening glass portal, positioned half in the water and half out.

Floria sighed; "So;" she said; "Who knows how to swim?"


	9. Chapter 8

Scarlett had decided she'd seen the infirmary too many times since arriving at Ravens' Boarding School. After landing in the woods, coughing and gagging drenched in water, the group had been sent to be checked out. That was, along was half of the rest of the year. Having been discharged within minutes of arriving, she and Samuel wondered down the busy room, weaving in and out of hoards of novices, queuing to be seen. "To be honest;" he whispered as they walked; "That could've gone a lot worse."

Scarlett agreed. She looked up at him, still soaked from the sea; his dark hair was plastered to his face giving him that roguish look he was so good at pulling off. She bit her lip; "Sam?"

"Hmmm?" he smirked.

"What was that thing-" she lowered her voice even further; "that thing Floria said to you?"

"Scarlett!" Mark waved from just a few metres away, pulling Daniel behind him by the collar. They turned around, Samuel looking relieved.

"Hey guys," she smiled weakly, "are you getting checked out?"

Daniel shook his head and rolled up his sleeves; "No," he said; "we bought Amelia in."

Scarlett furrowed her eyebrows. She swallowed; Amelia hadn't even crossed her mind since she got back. She thought of Nate momentarily.

"We got sent to the same place as Lucia's group," Daniel explained.

Samuel whistled; "No way."

Mark nodded, "Unfortunately, _yes way_."

Scarlett and Samuel exchanged a glance.

"We could've only been there for a few minutes;" Daniel spat, clearly narked; "And there's Deal, Gareth, Ava and Lucia."

"We barely had time to move before Lucia smashed Amelia's head against the wall," Mark finished; "She didn't even see them coming- she was defenceless."

Samuel gasped; "Is she okay?" He glanced around and scanned the beds, trying to spot his friend; "I should go see her."

Daniel shrugged; "She's fine, but she has concussion."

Scarlett, who was still learning the ropes, was getting the impression Lucia was not a popular figure amongst the group. "And where's Lucia now?" she spoke.

"Disappeared the moment she got back."

Samuel snorted; "Well, isn't that typical."

To Samuel's left, the steel shutters on the windows in the infirmary began to close quickly with a loud scraping sound. Scarlett just had time to shot him a quizzical look before the lockdown alarm screeched into the air and together the four of them fell to the ground, limbs on top of one another in uncomfortable positions. The dark room glowed a deep red, encasing them all in further darkness. Out of fear, Samuel grabbed Scarlett's hand, biting his lip. "What's going on?" he whispered.

Scarlett squeezed his hand; "I thought you guys were used to this kind of thing?"

Samuel fell silent, eyebrows knitted together.

Only seconds later, the alarm cut out and one of the security soldiers came bursting into the room, just like in Harklone's classroom. "Everybody up!" he called, punching his fist against the light switch. He was a tall burly man, the type who would manage to make turning a light on aggressive. Scarlett let go of Samuel's hand and pulled herself up, her tired joints protesting. Sighing, she brushed herself off and glanced up at the soldier. He was still standing in the doorway, waiting for the students to hush.

"Your fellow student;" he yelled over the noise; "Lucia Grace, was found in her dormitory an hour ago."

In front of Scarlett, Mark and Daniel exchanged a confused glance.

"She was strangled;" he finished, "we're still as of yet, looking for the killer."

The library was always empty just before dinner time, students done with work for the day and off seeking their friends. Scarlett and Samuel sat alone in a corner, next to the window in the History section. They sat with Scarlett's legs on top of Samuel's, reading in a companionable silence. The moon was dim behind a cloud, preparing for sunrise a few hours away. Scarlett glanced over her book and quirked an eyebrow; "what are you thinking?" she whispered softly.

Samuel shrugged without looking up from his book; "It's weird."

She nodded. Because it was weird, knowing someone had died and not being able to decide whether or not you were sad. After all, neither of them knew Lucia. Samuel, chewing on the edge of his bottom lip, lowered his book. His large eyes studied her. "Scar?"

"Hmm?" she smiled, lazily.

"What happened to your brother?" The words came out slowly and cautiously and with some hesitation. He wasn't sure whether he should ask, but the question had been burning in his chest since she'd run off at the pre Missions party.

Worry crossed Scarlett's eyes for a moment and her body tensed, before making herself relax once more. She dropped her gaze, studying his hands rather than his eyes. They were small in width, but quite long, tanned with close cut nails. Simple. She liked them.

"He died in a demon attack on this school," she said eventually.

Samuel, who had been at this school since he was twelve, cocked his head; "As in the one that was two years ago?"

She nodded, gulping. "It wasn't supposed to happen;" she said, "this school is _supposed _to be protected."

She shrugged. Next to the window, what little light there was bounced off her dark hair and made her skin look more pale than usual. Her face was scrunched up; "I think the worst part was that it was completely brushed over;" she said, not bitterly; "It was nothing like what they were doing was Lucia. They bought me in to identify the body, and then he was sent off to my parents. That was it."

Samuel thought of the announcement that Professor Winters made over the speakers just a few hours ago; when they were told the school would be holding a memorial for Lucia the next day. "Why?" he asked delicately.

Scarlett shuffled in her seat; "they thought-" she stuttered; "they thought it was him who summoned the demons." She stopped and then offered further; "You know as well as me that demons aren't part of our world _really, _they don't pose as threat as long as we don't disturb them, and so it makes no sense."

Samuel put a hand on her leg absentmindedly; "Then why would he do it?"

Scarlett shrugged again; "Nate was like that;" she explained; "Don't get me wrong – I loved him. But the reason he was here was because he was troublesome."

"How so?" Samuel blushed, he felt as if he were interrogating her. Scarlett didn't seem to mind, other than looking a little uncomfortable that is.

"I don't know;" she said, honestly; "He was _so _loving, ridiculously so. He did _everything_ for me when we were young and practically raised me-"

"But?"

"_-But, _he'd say and do strange stuff. Like this one time, when he was thirteen and I was eleven, there was a car crash outside our house and we were in the front garden;" she gestured with her hands; "we saw the whole thing and I was screaming because there were body parts _everywhere_, but Nate-...Nate watched in awe - like he was _excited_ - and then didn't seem bothered at all."

Samuel studied her again and gave her leg an affectionate squeeze; "So," he paused; "you're saying he was a psychopath or something?"

Scarlett shook her head; "No, he _was _capable of love and functioning normally. It was just like his morals were _way _off. He didn't seem bothered about any of the bad things that happened in his life and then when he was fifteen he started bringing home vampires. They'd stay in his room all night and then in the morning he'd always be cleaning blood out of something." She shivered and wrapped her jacket tighter round herself even though it wasn't cold. "He just got worse, so my parents sent him away."

"And then they sent you away," Samuel finished.

Scarlett smiled weakly; "Well, I _did _use a resurgence spell trying to get him back."

Samuel jerked and Scarlett's feet fell to the ground; "_What?_" he gasped.

"I was grieving;" she did the shrug again, "I didn't know what I was doing."

Samuel's eyes were wider now and she expected him to leave and at least look disgusted; but all he said was; "you're a very unhappy person, aren't you?"

Amelia was deemed fit to leave the infirmary that same day and though she was hungry, she headed straight for her room, seeking privacy. When she arrived Nate was sitting in her rotted armchair, back straight and hands on his thighs. She paused for a moment when she opened the door at the sight, before quickly closing it behind her and shuffling in. "How's the head?" he asked, his tone more aggressive than it should've been.

Amelia quirked an eyebrow; "How did you know about that?"

He stood up soundlessly; "Of course I knew," he said; "I can't believe that _girl_-"

"Watch it," Amelia warned, stripping off her jacket in want of something more comfortable; "you shouldn't go speaking ill of her _right _now."

"Because she's dead?" Nate said his voice casual. He glided across the room and lent against the wall closest to her bed whilst Amelia changed into a pair of jogging bottoms and a hoodie. "_Again," _she half laughed; "how do you know about all of this?"

He shrugged, "Well, I was _there_, after all."

Amelia looked up from the socks she was putting on and shot him a look. "_What?" _she spat.

Nate smirked; "What?" he teased, "Did you think it was a coincidence that hours after she hurt you she was dead?" He folded his arms, hands hidden under his long jumper, looking especially pleased with himself.

Amelia dropped back on to the bed. Speechless, she managed to squeak; "_You?"_

The temperature in the room felt as if it had dropped twenty degrees and she hugged herself, bringing her knees up to her chest. She felt foggy, unable to piece information together.

Nate furrowed his eyebrows and perched at the foot of the bed, reaching out a hand to cup her cheek. She didn't shake it away. She didn't particularly want it there either.

"Are you okay?" he asked, not understanding her sudden change of mood.

"Okay?" she repeated, not angry but confused; "You _killed _someone." She let the words sink in as she said them, letting them create a meaning deep within her chest, wrapping around her lungs and squeezing until she couldn't breathe.

After a moment, she gasped and added; "-for me."

Nate's thumb stroked her jaw; "I did it for you," he said. His face was changing now, tears rimming his eyes in fear he'd done something wrong, something she didn't approve of.

Now expressionless, Amelia managed to meet her gaze with his. "I didn't ask you too;" she replied blankly. Something inside of her snapped at that moment – the moment when she looked into his eyes. They were slightly red and glassy, but most of all filled with such a deep pain that she could hardly bare to look at them. She understood. They'd only learnt how to talk to one another today, yes – but he'd always been there; and that was something she hadn't considered properly. For the past month she'd seen him every day, in the corridors, in the classrooms, in her bedroom and even her bathroom. He didn't leave her side and for some reason it hadn't bothered her one bit. It hadn't even shaken her as odd; and that in itself was odd. She _wanted _him there and she _liked _the attention. She had known of his _state_ and still let him take an interest. Going day to day and not thinking about the situation too deeply, it was her who had let it spiral – spiral from nothing to this expectancy, waiting for him and sharing wordless communication. She and Nate had built up and relationship before her eyes. How had she not given it more than a second thought?

_And what? _Now she was _shocked _by what he'd done to Lucia? Did _it even count_ if you're dead?

She shook her head. She wasn't excusing it, but she wasn't placing blame either.

Amelia caught his gaze again and this time, she smiled weakly and watched the relief flood his face.

She was still utterly confused, but she wasn't prepared to push Nate away.


	10. Chapter 9

_'__Welcome to the Enchanter's Manual, a beginners guide to the world of magic for those who are beginning to discover their powers. Witches and Warlocks have lived in peace with humans for thousands of years and it is for an Enchanter to decide whether he/she will work amongst humans and never reveal themselves, or whether they will take a part in protecting their heritage. As written into law by the High Chamber in 1956, it is compulsory for a Witch or Warlock to spend at least five years in sorcery education to give them the opportunity to mature and understand their abilities, develop a speciality and to fully grasp the Enchanter's world, it's laws and it's many races. This will be your guide throughout your education and will help you to make your most important life decisions.' – The Enchanter's Manual, Introduction._

Amelia had been in the fourth floor bathroom for over an hour. She was alone, given that it was the middle of the night most of the school was sleeping. But most importantly, Nate wasn't there. The scalding water was starting to cool as she dipped her head underwater. She'd been staring blankly at the ceiling as she soaked for quite some time, her face expressionless. She felt dirty, though not for a reason she could put her finger on. She felt as if she'd done something wrong and now her identity, who she was and what she believed in, was beginning to blur. She didn't have a problem with _it. _That was wrong – right? And surely if she could recognise that it was wrong not to have a problem with _it_ then some part of her was still who she thought she was. But a part of her wasn't.

She came up for air, gasping. She hadn't noticed that she'd been holding her breath for a long time. Spluttering and shaking, she reached for her towel and wrapped it around herself, and then walked over to the mucky mirrors on the other side of the room.

She looked pale, she thought – the dark rings under her eyes the only thing that gave her some colour. She wasn't much of a blusher: rosy cheeks didn't usually appear on her cheeks and she wasn't one to apply make-up to change that. She ran a hair through her damp hair and turned away; breathing deep and she scooped up her clothes, and thought about returning to reality.

As October turned to November and November to December without any Missions, Floria had set herself into a rhythm. Training her body harder and harder, she could now train longer without having to take any breaks. It was deep in the night, dawning was breaking which meant she'd still have some time to sleep before the school day. The school gym was pitch dark and she left it that way, helping to train her eyes to adjust. She kicked forwards, alternating her punching arms as she did so. Her sore muscles screamed, but she continued anyway.

"Here again?"

Floria rolled her eyes and swivelled round to the direction where Jake's voice had come from. She could just make out his face swaggering towards her in the darkness. "Of course," he nodded; "this was my spot before it was yours, Marty."

"'Marty'?" Floria frowned at him, even though he wouldn't be able to see it.

Jake grinned, "Yeah, that guy from Back to the Future;" he explained; "Fitting, don't you think?"

"No," Floria snorted; "It's not very imaginative."

Jake waved his hand dismissively; "Whatever you say, Marty." He moved closer and threw himself on the ground somewhere not far from Floria's feet and crossed his legs.

"So," he said, still smiling; "you're training hard."

She shrugged; "We all should be. We've got a Mission before Christmas."

"And-" Jake waved his hand in her general direction; "You think this is going to help?"

"Don't you?"

Jake shook his head; "No Marty, I don't." There was a pause. Jake leant back on his hands casually and squinted up at Floria, who had now stopped working out. "You should really be focusing on your power;" he suggested, "you have one of the big three, that's a _big _deal."

Floria let out a frustrated sigh; "And how exactly does one practice time travel?"

"Keep going back until you've got a hold on it;" he said seriously.

"Well, don't you have all the answers?" she laughed sarcastically.

Jake cleared his throat; "I am better trained than you."

"And modest too."

Jake folded his arms. "Modesty is for heroes and ugly people," he grinned; "And I like to think of myself as a winner."

Floria spluttered, allowing herself to laugh, warmly this time.

Jake smirked; "So," he said; "Are you going to practice your power?"

In the dark, Floria turned away; her face fell, the funny moment gone. She frowned to herself. She'd only been back twice and both times it was pure luck she'd got back to normal time safely. She knew Jake was right about her power, she just didn't know if she could control it and _that_ could land her in trouble.

The school cafeteria was a buzz at breakfast, the date for the next Mission having been set for a week before Christmas. Scarlett picked up her milky tea from the counter and made her way to the far left wall, where Samuel, Mark and Daniel sat in their usual spaces, nattering as they shovelled food into their mouths. Samuel was lent over a book and nursing a cup of coffee when Scarlett sat down next to him. "What you reading?" she asked, hopping her leg over the bench.

He looked up startled; "Erm-"

"Some old book about the Bound curse-" Mark interrupted with his mouth full of food.

"I don't know why;" Daniel finished, "It's just some creepy myth."

Scarlett met Samuel's eyes, a quizzical expression on her face.

"It's just what you said about-" he began, his voice low.

Scarlett nodded, cutting him off; "I know," she glanced at the book; "Anything good?"

He shrugged; "Nothing we didn't already know. Apparently, they're not like ghosts or spirits-" he pushed the book towards her; "they're like living beings, their hearts beat and everything."

Mark quirked an eyebrow; "How is that even possible?"

"It is a _curse_," Samuel said; "So maybe they're like ghosts personified or something."

"_Guys_, can we not?" Daniel requested, running a hand through his honey coloured hair; "we should be talking about the Missions or _anything_."

Out of the corner of her eye, Scarlett saw Amelia Darkenholme enter the cafeteria. As usual, she was dressed in black and was alone. Differently though, she wore jeans and an oversized jumper, her hair shoved up in a messy bun and showing off her pixie ears. Scarlett watched as she picked up a large mug of coffee, then started making her way back out to the corridor. It occurred to her then what Floria had said to her two months ago on their first Mission: that for reasons they were not yet sure, Amelia might know Nate. With classes and trying to deal with her own emotions over Nate, Scarlett hadn't spoken to Amelia once. It had been hard enough dragging herself to classes every day. Now, almost falling flat on her face trying to get out from under the bench, she followed her out into the corridor. Amelia was at the foot of the stairs when Scarlett called out to her. She whipped round immediately.

"What?" Amelia said coldly, looking unhappy to be disturbed.

"I just;" Scarlett began, breathless; "I was just hoping I could talk to you about my brother."

Amelia examined her nails cooly; "The guy who died here?"

Scarlett narrowed her eyes and grabbed Amelia's arm, pulling her to the side where they wouldn't be overheard. "Don't play dumb;" she hissed; "you see him right?"

Amelia froze; "He's dead, how would I see him?"

"The Bound curse;" Scarlett tightened her grip, "you know how."

"That's just a myth;" Amelia laughed and pulled her arm free.

Scarlett was getting both desperate and frustrated; "Please he's my brother, you're the _only _one who sees him;" her voice rose; "I already feel like I'm going mad, like I'm clutching at straws."

Amelia shook her head and stepped away; "I have no idea what you're talking about." She made for the stairs and slunk away, coffee in hand. Scarlett skidded to the foot of the stairs and shouted; "Watch yourself Amelia."

Several students passing by paused and looked. Amelia stopped walking, but she didn't turn around. Scarlett saw this as a sign of encouragement. "You don't know what he's capable of." Amelia shook her head slightly and carried on walking away, but Scarlett still yelled; "He's sick, Amelia! You're going to get yourself hurt! He's not even really here!"

Amelia smiled as she turned to the next staircase to her left; "Oh yes he is;" she muttered, low enough that only she could hear.

When Amelia arrived back at her bedroom, Nate was standing next to her bed, gazing out the window.

"What ya doin'?" she asked, throwing herself down onto her bed lazily and gulping her coffee.

"Watching that Deal guy;" he said his voice monotone.

"Lucia's friend?" Amelia responded, quirking an eyebrow; "Why?"

Nate pulled the curtain back further to get a better view, the sunset bouncing off his blonde hair. "He and her other friends are planting a tree for her;" he explained, looking amused; "why would you plant a tree for a dead person?"

Amelia giggled and watched him with fascination; "Some people see it as a gesture."

"Well I think it's stupid;" he said, turning away from the window and lying on the bed on his front. "I mean, the dead person isn't here to appreciate it. They're doing it to make themselves feel better – it's not for the dead person at all." He rested his cheek in his palm and looked up at her.

Amelia bopped him on the nose playfully; "you're just jealous because nobody planted you a tree."

"Nobody held me a memorial either;" he added, smiling now; "I'm like an underdog – everybody loves an underdog."

She waved her hand dismissively, but she was smiling; "Yeah, yeah."

And then they were laughing. And Nate was reaching across the bed. His kissed her then. For the first time.

At first it was just tingly and uncomfortable. She shoved her coffee onto the bedside table and Nate shuffled closer, his lips still on hers. Then it was warm and safe and Amelia felt as if she was sinking into him, into a deep dark hole that she didn't ever want to crawl out of. She put a hand on his chest and felt his heart beating and the warmth of his body. He was really here. She felt him smile into the kiss and cup her cheek in his hand gently. His lips were soft and a comfort and had no specific taste, which she liked. It was slow, like they had all the time in the world. Yet it didn't last long enough. She pouted childishly as he pulled away. Nate looked at her expression and then laughed, bopping her nose like she had done moments before. "Come on;" he grinned, hoping off the bed and offering her his hand; "I need to see this magical dead people tree."

She took his hand. "Idiot," she laughed affectionately.

"Oh here she is;" Samuel called; "Skiver." He half-walked half-skipped across the grass outside the front of the school to where Scarlett was sitting under an old oak tree. It was independent study, half way through the day. "We have these things called lessons, you know."

Scarlett was sitting cross legged, staring at her hands in her lap. She only looked up when Samuel sat beside her, his shoulder nudging hers. "Well?" he demanded. He tightened his blazer around his chest against the cool air.

She shrugged; "I feel like I'm losing it."

"Because of your brother?" he asked, not unkindly.

Scarlett bit her lip and looked up, fixating her gaze on the newly planted tree to her left. "I don't know;" she sighed; "Before I was just grieving and that was easier. Now I'm convincing myself he's still here – which is ridiculous – and it's driving me crazy." She sunk into her friend's side deflated. He circled an arm around her and didn't speak for a while. After a few minutes of listening to the wind and the droplets of the frozen water fountain, Samuel turned and used his index finger to lift Scarlett's chin, forcing her to look at him. "Right, here's what you're going to do;" he instructed firmly; "You're not going to pursue this anymore. I've been reading about the Bound curse and it just seems illogical. I know you thought you saw Nate that time, but it was dark and you were scared. You need to move on with your life, okay? Focus on school, focus on your friends."

Scarlett smiled at him weakly and all she said was; "I don't really have any friends."

"I'm your friend," Samuel said, somewhat defensively; "I thought me, you, Mark and Daniel were like the fantastic four."

"If you say so;" Scarlett snorted, "But you're right – let's stick to your plan."

Samuel clapped his hands together, both warming his hands up and getting the attention of Scarlett, Floria and Jake. "Right team;" his was breath visible in front of him, "we all ready?"

"Well;" Jake countered, pausing for affect; "I'm ready and you're all on my team so…we'll be fine."

Scarlett scowled in the cold weather; "Wow;" she said blankly, "just wow."

They stood in front of the portal, waiting for Arthia to come and start the stop watch. It was morning and the weather was calm but bitter, a sharp cold cutting through the clothes of the students waiting on the lawn.

Floria wrapped her scarf around her neck; "Wherever we go, I hope it's warmer than here."

Arthia approached across the lawn, her boots crunching across the frosted grass. "Right," she drawled; "Team seven. You know the drill." She clasped the stopwatch marked 'seven' and gave Floria an encouraging nod. Her voice was collective and calm; "Set...go."

"I don't get it;" Scarlett said immediately. She practically jumped off the ground and surveyed their surroundings. It was night time as usual, and as far as she could tell, the same time as it was when they went through the Portal.

Samuel was beside her, an equal look of confusion on his face; "It's-"

"The school;" Scarlett's voice was a whisper, all her energy in trying to figure out what had happened. They were on the driveway of the school, Floria and Jake still lying face down on the gravel.

Groaning, Jake rolled over and sat up; "So what," he said; "We moved a couple of feet?"

At that, Scarlett snapped her head to her right, where most of the two year groups had been standing and waiting to go on their Missions. There was no one there. Instinctively, she looked to her left. A few students were milling around, no one she recognised.

"I don't get it;" she scratched her head; "If we just moved, where is everyone?"

All four of them were on their feet now, looking at the school with an uneasy feeling in their stomachs.

"Maybe we should just ask someone;" Samuel suggested and without waiting for approval, started approaching two girls practicing a simple adaptation spell. Shortly after they'd landed, Samuel had taken Scarlett's hand. Or perhaps Scarlett had taken Samuel's hand. Either way it had been okay because of _where they were _and how confusing it all was. Sometimes, you just held somebody's hand because they were there and it was comforting and it reminded you that you were alive. They were still holding hands when they approached the girls and it would've been okay if one of them had just let go. But they hadn't. And now it meant something else. As if sensing this, Scarlett dropped his hand quickly and waved awkwardly at the shorter of the two girls. The girl looked up and gave Scarlett a quizzical look.

"Hi;" Scarlett said uncomfortably; "Erm, I don't suppose you could... Erm-"

Without looking at him, she knew Jake was rolling his eyes. His hands clasped her shoulders. "What my socially awkward friend here is trying to say;" he half laughed; "Is could you tell us what the date is?"

The girl's face softened slightly when Jake spoke to her; "You don't know?" she questioned.

Jake laughed louder; "We had a wild night."

"Clearly;" she said, pausing for a moment; "It's December 12th 2013."

Next to Jake, Floria spluttered loudly. Still smiling, he thanked the girl and guided Floria away swiftly and waited for the other's the follow. They stomped back to the foundation on the gravel driveway.

Scarlett's face was a picture of horror; "What the fu-"

"How the _hell _did we end up _exactly _a year in the _past_?" Samuel exclaimed, breathing heavily.

Swivelling on her heels and connecting the dots; Scarlett stared at Floria; "What did _you_ do?"

Regaining her voice after the shock, Floria glanced up, frowning; "_What_?"

Scarlett threw her arms up in exasperation; "Last time I checked, you're the only one here who can time travel."

"You think _I_ did this?" Floria responded defensively.

"Well;" Samuel intercepted; "you can't travel in time through a Portal. It kinda had to be you."

Jake nodded; "A year to the _day. _That can't be a coincidence."

Floria remained quiet, glancing down at her hands. They were pale and small and had a silver ring on each finger. At that moment, they were also sparking purple electricity. Jake followed her eyeline; "Why are you doing that?"

"I'm...not;" she stuttered; "I mean, I am, but not deliberately. I can't control it."

"Oh that's just great;" Scarlett sighed; "She's lost control of her powers and zapped us a year into the past."

There was a moment of silence as the group let the information sink in. They stood clueless, absorbing the seriousness of the situation. Jake bit his lip; "We can get back, right?" he asked so only Floria could hear.

She looked up at him, giving him a pained look; "I don't know, maybe;" she said, "I'm not in control right now. But there'll still be a Portal right?"

"Why would there be a Portal a year in the past?" Scarlett pointed out, her tone annoyed.

"Because it follows us wherever we go?" Floria countered.

Irritation creeped into Scarlett's voice; "Even a year in the past?" she hissed; "Face it, you've trapped us here."

"Hey;" Floria snapped; "I didn't mean to do this-"

"You two;" Samuel interjected suddenly; "Shut up."

All three of them turned their attention to him. He was frowning as if he were concentrating, his thick eyebrows knotting together.

"What is it?" Scarlett whispered.

He shook his head; "I could've sworn I heard-" He started walking briskly, up towards the entrance of the building and to the right. He crunched across the frozen grass to the side of the building and stopped dead in his tracks. There, leaning against the wall, stood Amelia, Mark and Daniel.

At the sound of their footsteps; Daniel, who had his hands on his knees, looked up. "What are you doing here?"

Amelia quirked an eyebrow, her expression amused; "Well that explains the time travel;" she said, eyeing Floria.

"Excuse me;" Floria exclaimed; "Can we stopping blaming me for like, one second?"

"How the hell did you zap them here too?" Scarlett questioned.

"Guys!" Samuel shouted; "can we please think about the problem in hand?" For the second time in a few minutes, everybody stopped talking and listened to Samuel. "We're a year in the past;" he was saying now, "we need to see if we can find this _bloody _portal and if not, figure out a way to get back."

"And be careful not to bump into ourselves;" Mark added, clearly piecing everything together in his mind.

In just a few minutes, the seven of them had hatched a plan. For the sake of safety and uncertainty, they would stick together. They'd wait until lesson time and then take the school floor by floor, searching for the Portal. Then they'd search the grounds, just like they would if they were on a normal Mission. If they didn't find it, they'd find somewhere to hide out until Floria had worked out how to get them back to present day. It wasn't the best of plans, but it was the only one they had.

Floria shoved her hair up into a messy bun as she pushed the front door open and creeped into the hallway of the school. As usual it was deserted in an eerie way. Floria could never quite figure out why that was. There were around six hundred students at Raven's School, yet perhaps due to magic or the protection spells, it always looked scarily empty. It was almost as if nobody could be seen by the blind eye; like the magical world and everything inside it were that thing in the corner of your eye: you know it's there but you could never quite see it. At that moment she was thankful for it, hoping that quality would help them pass by unnoticed.

Amelia was the last one through the door and closed it silently behind her with a flick of her finger. Scarlett, who had been in front of her, eyed her in fascination; "I didn't realise telekinesis was your speciality;" she said.

Amelia shrugged, a mischievous look on her face; "I think we've established that there's a lot you don't know about me."

"Clearly," Scarlett responded, equally as coldly.

"You should probably tell me yours;" she said, looking bored; "so it's fair."

Scarlett's expression closed off immediately; "If I were to tell anyone, which I wouldn't, you'd be the last to know."

"_Anyway_," Floria coughed, drawing attention to the fact everybody had been watching them; "Lets split up and search this floor."

Jake shuffled uncomfortably; "I thought we were sticking together?"

"We are, but when we get to each floor we may as well split up. It'll be quicker."

The others nodded soundlessly and each took a door or corridor on the ground floor, silently agreeing to meet back in five minutes. Amelia slunk off on her own down the dark corridor to her left, her figure disappearing from sight the further she walked. Having attended the school for two years, she knew exactly where she was. She was in the corridor that led to the school gym, assembly hall and the ground floor bathrooms which were only ever used when everywhere else was full. The faint sound of a dripping tap grew louder as she entered the boy's bathroom. With a large gust of wind gathering in the centre of her palm, she tiptoed into the darkened room, which seemed surprisingly empty. More importantly, there seemed to be no dangers or portals to speak of. However, as she passed the toilets, she could hear a shower on in the next room. Had she possessed the normal spectrum of human emotion, she would probably be blushing or hesitating at the idea of entering the boy's showers. But as she did not, she pushed open the door with a kick. A wall of steam hit her and caused her blonde hair to stick to her face and left her revealing leather gear feeling too hot. In the cubicle furthest away from her and closest to the far wall, stood a boy facing away from her. His dirty blonde hair was wet and swept out of his face. Though she could only see his back, she knew who it was immediately. She'd recognise that pale skin anywhere, that body that was both skinny and heavy set and that wavy hair that seemed to have a mind of its own. She knew that the only reasonable thing to do would have been to turn around and walk away before he saw her, but her body had other ideas. Before we could stop herself, she was speaking; "Nate?"

The boy swivelled around immediately, Nate's face a picture of surprise.

Water dripped down his face; "How can you see me?" he demanded, accusingly. He didn't recognise her. Alarm bells sounded inside Amelia's mind, telling her that it was dangerous to mess with the past. She gulped, turning and running for the door. She stepped into the cold and dark bathroom, running past the sinks and towards the door. Nate had beaten her there, standing in the doorway, now clothed and dry. His arms were folded; "I asked you a question."

"I just can;" she spluttered, "you're dead, you tell me."

He narrowed his dark eyes; "Is it that obvious?"

"What?" she said, "Erm no, I just-" Amelia was tense and quite frankly feeling a little dizzy. In front of her was the boy who just a few hours ago was sitting at the foot of her bed, drinking hot chocolate (much to her amazement) and telling her the story of the time he'd set his teacher on fire. She'd choked on her drink and asked him why, in which he'd responded that it was a long story and he couldn't remember most of it. She laughed, purely because she still liked him anyway, which was as equally barbaric as setting your teacher on fire.

Now he was here and he had no idea who she was. "It's not obvious;" she replied finally, taking a deep breath; "I just know that you are dead and are Bound here."

Confused, he stepped back; "Do we..." he began slowly; "Do we know each other?"

She smiled knowingly; "No. But we will."

Unafraid, she pushed him to the side gently and opened the bathroom door, stepping out and leaving him behind.

The group met back in the hallway a few minutes later, none of whom had found the Portal.

"Let's take the second floor;" Scarlett suggested, eyeing Floria; "Unless genius over here has figured out how to get us back?" Floria shook her head. "I didn't think so."

Samuel was smirking next to her; "you know," he said as they climbed the steps, "you're so nice half the time and such a bitch the rest of time;" He paused; "I love it."

Scarlett pretended to flick her hair; "Well what can I say;" she winked and ripped her sword of its sheath as they rounded the corner.

"And totally kick ass;" Samuel added, with a certain 'unf' to his voice. Scarlett was smiling inwardly, but left her expression cool; "Get your hormones in check Alderwell."

He saluted her comically; "Yes Ma'am."

They led the group across the landing, turning down the history corridor.

They barely had time to duck before the bullets came flying towards them.


End file.
